Last Tuesday, the twin brothers from Chicago's West Side, Margarito and Pedro Flores, walked into a public courtroom after six years of protective custody, looking extremely nervous and whispering to each other, the ‘Chicago Tribune’ reported. When the two were offering a statement for U.S. District Chief Judge Ruben Castillo, Margarito flores choked up while saying, “I'm ashamed, I'm embarrassed, I'm regretful,” before apologizing for putting his family in harm’s way. Pedro followed by telling the court he was ready to take “full responsibility” for all the drug trafficking they’d been involved in.
Judge Castillo called the twins “the most significant drug dealers” he had ever dealt with throughout his 20-year career behind the bench before sentencing the Flores brothers to 14 years in prison each, for smuggling nearly $2 billion in cash and at least 71 tons of heroine and cocaine in just three years, between 2005 and 2008. The pair got an exceptionally good deal considering the life sentence the judge had anticipated for them, had they not cooperated so willingly.
The judge also made sure the twins didn’t feel at ease with their past despite their short sentence, “You and your family will always have to look over your shoulder,” explained Castillo. “Any time you start your car, you're going to be wondering, is that car going to start or is it going to explode?”
Security was extremely tight at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse since the brother’s cooperation has lead to another round of indictments against the Sinaloa cartel, including Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, son of the cartel's notorious boss, Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, (who’s being held in Mexico and under indictment in New York and Texas) plus another three men accused of helping the cartel launder millions of dollars. “They were the Chicago hub of the Sinaloa cartel, and they pumped literally tons of cocaine into the city,” said Attorney Zachary Fardon of the twins, now 33.
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